Here’s What Each Major Ocean Cruise Line Charges in Gratuities

Cruise lines gratuities have been in the news over the last month as a number of major lines have announced increases to their automatic service charges that are charged to a guest’s account.

While it’s important to know that gratuities are an important part of rewarding onboard crews that make sailings around the world special, most cruise lines do allow guests to adjust, either increase or decrease, the amount paid in gratuities by going to guest services during the cruise. But a lot of guests don’t know that, so it’s up to an agent to pass along the news.

It’s also important to note that most lines who charge guests gratuities separate from their cruise fare do not allow travel agents to earn commission on those gratuities. The ones who do allow agent commission on gratuities tend to be the lines who offer their guests an all-inclusive fare.

Here is what each major cruise line charges, or doesn’t charge, for gratuities.

Azamara Club Cruises
Azamara Club Cruises includes gratuities in its fares.

That fare is fully commissionable for all travel agents.

Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, starting Dec. 1, will start charging $13.99 per person, per day for guests in standard rooms and $15.99 per person, per day, for guests in suites.

All of the gratuities collected go to Carnival’s shipboard staff. According to its website, the amount is spread between its housekeeping team, dining team, and alternate staff.

According to TMR’s Ocean Report Card, travel agents cannot earn commission on gratuities.

Celebrity Cruise Line
Celebrity charges $14.50 per person, per day for those in standard accommodations, $15.00 per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass guests, and $18.00 per person, per day for those in suites.

On its website, Celebrity says that collected gratuities are shared between stateroom attendants, dining services, staff, and housekeeping staff.

Celebrity also adds an 18 percent gratuity to all beverages, spa, salon, and mini bar purchase.

Crystal Cruises
All of Crystal Cruises’ sailings are all-inclusive, so gratuities for its staff—housekeeping, restaurant, bar, and Penthouse butler staff—are already included in the cruise fare.

Because of the nature of its fare, travel agents earn commission on all gratuities.

Holland America Line
Holland America increased the cost of their automatic gratuities in October, announcing that it would start charging $14.50 per day, per person for all guest staying in standard rooms and $16.00 per person, per day for suite guests, starting in 2019.

Holland America told TMR at the time that 100 percent of gratuities go toward compensating onboard crew members.

MSC Cruises
MSC’s services charges vary by sailing.

For the majority of its Caribbean sailings, MSC charges $12.50 per night, per adult and $6.25 per night, per child over two. The same goes for its South America and FAE sailings.

For MSC’s South Africa Cruises, guests will pay $8 per night, per person for adults and $4 per person, per night for children. Guests on the Grand Voyages from South Africa (Northbound) will be charged $12.50 per night, per person for adults and $6.25 per night, per person for children.

For its Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Antilles, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Oman cruises, MSC automatically charges 10 euros per person, per night for adults, and half that for children.

Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line last raised its gratuities by 50 cents, to $14.50 per day for standard cabins and $17.50 per person per day for suites and Haven guests, last April. During that increase, Norwegian also increased gratuities on Sky and Sun, its two all-inclusive ships, to $19.99 for standard guests and $22.99 for suite guests.

Oceania Cruises
Oceania automatically adds $16.0 per person, per day for standard guests and $23.00 per person, per day for suite guests.

Oceania also adds an 18 percent charge to all beverage purchases, spa services, and specialty dinners.

Paul Gauguin Cruises
All onboard gratuities are included in Paul Gauguin’s all-inclusive fare.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Gratuities are included in the cruise fare for all of Regent’s sailings. Regent also offers another option for guests who want to go above and beyond for their crew—donations to the Crew Welfare Fund, which is used for crew events, are welcomed at the Purser Office onboard.

Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean’s automatic gratuity is $14.50 per person, per day for standard guests and $17.50 per person, per day for suite guests.

On its website, Royal says that the gratuities are “a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service, gratuities are shared among dining, bar  culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience.”

Seabourn
According to its website, “gratuities are neither required nor expected on Seabourn ships.”

Silversea
All gratuities onboard, including all service gratuities except spa, are included in Silversea’s all-inclusive fare.

Viking Ocean Cruises
Viking adds a discretionary hotel and dining charge of $15.00 per person, per day to shipboard accounts. Those charges are shared among the waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff, and others.

That fee does not include Viking’s 15 percent gratuity for bar and deck service.

Windstar
Windstar raised its daily gratuities in January of this year—now, the luxury line charges $13.50 per person, per day for gratuities for all guests.

Windstar also adds a 15 percent service charge for bar service.